Around the NBA: Moving on from setbacks

In the words of guard Delonte West, the Cavs got “punched ... in the mouth” Thursday night in Houston.

Chris Beaven

In the words of guard Delonte West, the Cavs got “punched ... in the mouth” Thursday night in Houston.

One night later, though, they came out swinging. They won in San Antonio and yet again showed a resilience that has been a big factor in their success this season.

“It’s not about what happens to you. It’s about how you respond to it,” West told FS Ohio after the win over the Spurs, who were without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

A resilient attitude is a must for the Cavs as they deal with another injury to a starter in the midst of playing eight of 10 on the road, including tonight’s game at Atlanta. They will need mental toughness as much as anything to hang on to the top seed in the East.

Coach Mike Brown credits his players for their ability to focus in difficult situations. It is why the Cavs are 45-12, and have lost two straight games just once this season.

“It’s good that we’re able to learn from our mistake one night in a loss ... and then just forget about it and move on to the next game,” LeBron James said.

It’s essentially like having a baseball closer’s mentality. So when the Cavs went down in flames in Houston in their worst offensive performance of the season -- lowlighted by James having no assists for the first time in his career -- they refused to let that loss linger. Twenty-four hours later they were in San Antonio delivering a strong performance.

James calls that the best thing about playing in the NBA.

“You can play as bad as you ever played one night and the NBA schedule allows you to make up for it the next night,” James said.

Bad break

The loss of power forward Ben Wallace for four to six weeks with a broken leg is the latest test for the resilient Cavs. He will join West and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas as Cleveland starters to miss at least four weeks this season.

Cleveland’s primary starters missed 36 games a year ago. Its primary starters have already missed 37 games this season. When the Cavs went to the NBA Finals in 2007, their entire roster lost just a total of 50 games because of injury.

This injury left Wallace frustrated.

“I haven’t had a broken arm, broken leg, or anything major like that since I’ve been playing the game of basketball,” Wallace told NBA.Com. “For it to happen now, it’s just tough, man. I'm 34 years old. I don’t need any broken bones. That’s the last thing I need.”

Not many options

With Ben Wallace out, the hours are dwindling for the Cavs to find inside help. Midnight tonight is the deadline for a player to be released by another team and be eligible for the Cavs to add to their playoff roster.

Their biggest hope is former Cavalier Joe Smith is bought out by the Thunder. But Smith told The Oklahoman before Friday’s game he had heard no news about any imminent buyout. Smith has not played since Feb. 10, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks has said he wants to keep the veteran forward.

Rip starting again

Consider Detroit’s decision to bring Richard Hamilton off the bench a failure. The Pistons went 4-12 after they opted to send Hamilton to the bench and continue to start Allen Iverson and Rodney Stuckey as the backcourt.

And Hamilton finally spoke out last week after the team’s eighth straight loss.

“I’ve said I’m happy to come off the bench as long as we’re winning. But we’re losing,” Hamilton told the Detroit Free Press. “Something’s got to give. I’m all for doing whatever it takes for the team, but coming off the bench with us not winning, something’s got to change.”

Change came Friday in Orlando. Hamilton started and had 31 points and six assists, and the Pistons knocked off the Magic. Iverson didn’t play because of a back injury, but coach Michael Curry said the move was going to be made anyway.

24-second clock

- Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was not happy to see Hamilton make his return to the starting lineup against his team. “That guy’s been quietly seething there for a while,” Van Gundy said. “I was worried about that going in. This is a guy who’s an All-Star and he’s been sitting on that bench waiting for a chance to get back in.”

- The Pistons have won 21 of 26 against Magic. That doesn’t sit well with Van Gundy, who questioned his team’s toughness. “One thing is you get tired of getting your (butt) kicked,” Van Gundy said. “It’s like the kid on the playground who’s getting beat up all the time and he takes it and runs home. At some point, enough’s enough, and he stands up for himself.”

- Hubie Brown was on the game for ESPN when the Cavs beat the Spurs. He didn’t hide his admiration for the Cavs, and what they’re doing this season:

“I just love their defense, and I like the fact that LeBron does not have to carry the load.”